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The Divine Priesthood
Overview The most well-known and followed religion in the Era of Dawn. The Divine Church is known throughout the northern continents as the voice of the gods. Known for beautiful, ornate temples in the style of the Royaume and the old Elves. The Priesthood, also called the Church, is known for it's work in alleviating the suffering of the poor, the establishment of free hospitals, the kind treatment of the sick and elderly, and altruism- all of which are venerated virtues in the eyes of the Gods. The religion is led by the Speaker, who is considered to be the God's divine voice on the planet. Despite this, the current Speaker has become known for his power-mongering actions of late, and has lived a considerably long time, leading to many considering him to be attempting to lead a second Crusade. Some consider this to be a Just and Good thing, purging dangerous belief and heresy from the lands, while others view it as nothing more than a megalomaniacal power grab. The Speaker confers with a Prophet, who is born with the ability to channel the divine's words. Only one prophet is born at a time, and due to the intense spiritual toll it causes on the body, they rarely live past their second decade before passing on. Some consider the Prophet to be an even more important spiritual presence than the Speaker, while others question if the Prophet is truly relaying the words of the gods. The Starting of the Schism In the mid 1700s DE, the role of the Inquisition became an even bigger part of the church's ongoing conversational zeitgeist. Notably, the destruction of several priories devoted to the worship of the goddess Kurise, following her decanonization from the Church's pantheon, led to a major uproar. This schism of acceptance or refusal of the Inquisitors has led to many arguments within the Ministry- some Arch-Priests see it as a brutal but necessary reform, while others see it as a sign of the barbarism and loss of control of the church over the Iniquisition. The Speaker still sits in silence on this matter, causing the two groups to become more cutthroat and vicious in their attempts to see the Inquisitors praised or excommunicated. Places of Worship The church has many beautiful buildings that are used as places of worship, these large buildings are made to resemble the wooden tree structures of the Elves, but are made of stone to reflect the more modern focus of the religion. Each church is dedicated to one particular god of their pantheon, usually one that makes sense for it's location, for example Arella or The Reaper Man in small farming villages, Bahamut or Yanaya in cities. In the center of each church is a shrine to that specific god, and shrines to the other gods are located along the sides of the large main corridor which is lined with pews for worshippers to sit upon. A single white carpet with gold embroidery lies along the central isle that leads up to the marble altar placed upon a raised podium, and is only trod upon by the clergy except during cermonies such as marriage and funerals, where the wedded couple and the pallbearers carrying the casket may step upon it. Past the altar a small open air courtyard, off-limits to the public, is usually full of fruits, flowers or animals depending on the decision of the High Priest. To either side are the cloisters, the left for men and the right for women, where Acolytes and Priest learn. Finally, at the back of the courtyard lies the home and study of the High Priest. Life in the Church Upon becoming accepted as an Acolyte through either recommenation or offering of oneself, a prospective priest is granted the title of "Child". All those who serve the church are granted a place in the cloisters, where they study the gods, the divine texts, the edicts and spend Once someone is considered dedicated enough, they are taken into a secret ritual where they are bestowed with divine power, becoming a Cleric or a Paladin. Upon leaving, the Paladins are granted the title of Knight Initiate, while Clerics become Low Priests. Life of a Cleric A Low Priest must tend to the sick and elderly who arrive at the church and live nearby, do the more important chores around the church, administer morning, noon, and night prayers on all days except prayer day (where the duty is taken by the High Priest). A Low Priest is sometimes called upon to administer the rights of the dead, or marriage of the common folk. Some also choose to travel on divine missions, or are sent on them, becoming known as Missionaries. It is expected for a cleric to have performed a certain amount of Missionary work before they are allowed to be ordained as a High Priest. Life of a Paladin More militaristic than the life of a Cleric, the Knight Initiate trains with several others under a Knight Sergeant, learning the ways of weaponry and armor, as well as how to handle their divine powers. Paladins train in their abbeys. Upon reaching a stage where they can take an Oath, most take the same oath as their Knight Sergeant and become Knights. The majority of Paladins are women, as most men are either selected or choose to join the Inquisition instead. Paladins are often dispatched to aid the local watch, patrol the country side, escort valuable artifacts, and usually spend their downtime training or keeping vigil over the church itself. High Priests The High Priests are chosen from Paladins and Low Priests who have performed a number of duties and have served the Church and the Speaker loyally for a number of years. The High Priests are in charge of a church or abbey, where they lead the three prayers of Prayer Day, correspond with their Arch Priest about the affairs of their steading, deal with the money from donations and choose which Paladins and Low Priests to dispatch on missionary work when asked by their Arch Priest. High Priests see to the day-to-day assignment of work and chores, who is to clean and who is to hold prayers, who is to tend to the sick and old, and will occasionally step in to offer hands on training to young Clerics and Paladins on the use of their divine abilities. A High Priest is expected to be able to recite Scripture- the parts which their Arch Priest deems the most relevant, at least- on command. High Priests are also the headmasters of church schools- or they were, while Church schools were still a thing. Many of the ones whose schools were adapted into Abbeys for the training of militaristic Paladins requested transfers, while others were forced out. Arch Priest The Arch Priests are the heads of one of the Thirteen Cathedrals, and are the third-highest rank in the Divine Church. They manage all the Churches and Abbeys in their province, and dictate the construction or demolition of them as needed. The Arch Priests also meet with the Speaker often, as he will frequently stay in one of their Cathedrals while on official visits, and as a whole as a council. With him they discuss matters of the Church and worship, as well as what they should focus on preaching. The Inquisition Formed in the early 1730s to help deal with the rising tide of Heresy, the Inquisition is comprised of Paladins and Clerics in the service of the Speaker, personally selected by him out of the many who serve the church. Although at first it seems to have been well meaning, protecting the innocent from the undead scourges and other threats, soon it became clear that the Inquisition was less of a surgical instrument and more of a blunt hammer. Many in the church disagree with their practices, and plead with the Speaker to end it's use before it gets out of hand. The Inquisition is highly militaristic, led by clerics known as Inquisitors who wear deep red equivalents of the normal low and high priest robes, and the Knight Brothers and Knight Sisters of the Inquisition- those selected Paladins who are chosen to protect and carry out the orders of the Low and High Inquisitors. Inquisitors are considered to be over zealous and fanatical, preaching fire and brimstone, and concerned about purifying the planet to prepare for The Endtimes. Inquisitors and their paladin order use a variety of weapons, including swords and guns, to bring about an end to monsters. They will often rid the monsters from a town and also "Purify" it's population, hunting out those who have committed crimes and putting them to batch trial- however, these often-harsh trials have been condemned as inhumane and refusing to hear out individual cases, and rarely are people given the chance to defend or refute their actions and accusations. Those who are physically fit and repent their crimes are assigned to the Convict Army, an army made of penatants who seek to atone for their crimes through a lifetime of sevitude to the Inquisition. Many in the Convict army are said to be bound monsters that the Inquisition claims to oppose- werewolves, vampires and other such creatures seen as ungodly. In exchange for their servitude, they are allowed to live until they are no longer useful. Heresy The Church considers certain acts to be of a Heretical nature. To perform them would be to be cast out of their service and considered a dire threat, even a punishable crime in places where the Church has a greater rule. Although many of them are ancient and have been in place since the founding of the religion, some are very recent, and discussion of the cutoff is banned by the actions of the Speaker of the present day. #To abuse the life of a sinless is an act of Heresy. #To end the life of another without sanction is an act of Heresy. #To steal the goods of another is an act of Heresy. #To harm animals unduly is an act of Heresy. #To abandon a lost child is an act of Heresy. #To worship Dark Gods or the Old Ones is an act of Heresy. #To disturb the remains of the dead is an act of Heresy. #To disturb the soul is an act of Heresy. #To leave a cursed item where it would harm an innocent is an act of Heresy. #To consort with those who would toy with the rules of Gods is an act of Heresy. #To delve too deeply into the secrets of the Arcane is an act of Heresy. #To refuse the orders of the Priesthood is an act of Heresy. #To question the Priesthood or it's servants is an act of Heresy. #To worship or be seen worshipping the Righteous Flame is an act of Heresy. Some of these edicts are debated, with many questioning what counts as "toying with the rules of Gods", some even question if it was put in to allow the Speaker ultimate authority over all issues. The Righteous Flame Although once a priestly sect in good (well, sort of) standing with the church as a whole, relations soured once the sect put to fire the avatar of the Goddess Kamia. The church branded this deicide as the ultimate heresy, and has sought to purge this sect and snuff out their flame. Despite seeing them executed in lands the church rules and having them driven out in the places they do not, the Flame persists. The Stricken Gods The Divine Priesthood's Pantheon was originally larger, with a number of neutral gods and a few good being decanonized in their faith by the Speaker, under pressure and insistence by the head of the Inquisition. Among these was Kurise, Goddess of Science. It was said that her worship was a "gateway" to delving into the secrets of the Arcane. This led to the dissolution of several of the church's more prestigious schools, and restructuring them into Inquisition training camps. These gods were officially added to the list of forbidden gods. Many temples dedicated to them in places with a strong Church influence were burned, toppled and destroyed, with their ardent worshippers being driven out and- in some cases- beaten. This move was the one that has caused the greatest schism in belief of the church, leading to many High Priests to oppose and even turn away Inquisitors and their ilk on the steps. History An ancient religion formed by the Elves of the Winter Kingdom. The religion started with two beings- the Speaker, and the Prophet. The Prophet would receive visions from the gods, and the Speaker would preach what those visions meant to the people who would gather. In it's early history, the most noteworthy thing to happen was the creation of the Prophecy of the Endtimes, although that event is now surrounded in myth and widely speculated about. Although a minor religion for a long time, it's relation to the Dawn Wardens led to it coming to prominence in the Era of Dawn. Soon the Divine Priesthood was present in the forming of the Royaume, and it's citadel became a shining beacon of hope for many. The Divine Priesthood would spearhead many humanitarian efforts, locating and saving thousands on the brink of starvation and bringing them into it's fold. As the religion became more human-run, so too did it's focus shift from the ways of the Elves of the past to the Royaume of the present. The Divine Priesthood became the most widespread and commonly followed religion of the Dawn Era, churches of it's followers are widely seen across the world. In the later years of the Era of Dawn, the Priesthood formed an Inquisition to hunt down worshippers of dark gods and other heresy. In the Wilds, they have had success, and they have started to press larger societies into following suit.